Falafel

It's falafel time! Are you familiar with falafel? They are made from ground chickpeas along with spices and then formed into balls and deep-fried in oil. What's not to love? Hehe. They are a popular street food in the Middle East (and all over now) and are commonly eaten in a pita topped with pickled vegetables or salad and tahini sauce. I first tried falafel a few years ago when we lived in Pittsburgh and I loved it! Since then I've been wanting to try making them at home, but never got around to it until my super awesome sister Heidi came to visit last month. We made them together and they were SOOO good! There is a lot of wait time and you have to plan in advance if you want to make them, but the actual time spent working is quite minimal. Looking at this picture makes my mouth water! I better make them again soon!

My cute sister Heidi! Falafel-frying extraordinaire!

Falafel

You'll need to start soaking your chickpeas the day before you want to make this and then the mixture has to sit in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours after you combine everything, so plan ahead! You also need a food processor or powerful blender to make these. Makes about 30 falafels.

1 lb. (about 2 cups) dry chickpeas/garbanzo beans
1 small onion, quartered
1/4 cup. fresh parsley
3-5 cloves garlic
1.5 T. flour
1 3/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
pinch of ground cardamom
Vegetable oil for frying (grapeseed, canola, or peanut)

The night before you plan to serve these, pour the chickpeas into a large bowl and cover them by about 3 inches of water. Let them soak overnight. They will double in size. They will still be quite hard, but don't despair, they'll chop up just fine.

1-2 hours before you cook the falafel, drain and rinse the garbanzo beans well. Pour them into the food processor along with the onion, garlic, parsley, flour, salt, cumin, coriander, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and cardamom (everything but the oil).

Pulse all ingredients together until a rough, coarse meal forms. You may have to scrape down the sides several times. Process until the mixture is somewhere between the texture of couscous and a paste. You want the mixture to hold together when you clump it with your fingers, but you don't want it so processed that it turns into hummus/mush.

Once the mixture has reached the desired consistency, pour it out into a bowl and use a fork to stir. Remove any large chickpea chunks the processor may have missed. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

Remove from the refrigerator and fill a skillet or saucepan with oil to a depth of at least 1.5 inches. Heat the oil slowly over medium heat. Meanwhile, form the falafel mixture into round balls using wet hands or a cookie scoop, about 2 T. per ball. They should stick together quite well. If not, you may need to process them more until they become more paste-like.

Test your oil by dropping a tiny amount of the mix in the oil. If it sizzles and bubbles, you are ready to go! You can also fry a whole ball first to check your temperature. It should take about 2-3 minutes per side to get nice and deep golden brown. If it's faster than that, your oil is too hot and the middle will not be cooked all the way, but you also don't want them to take longer than that or they will get dried out.

Fry about 5 or more at a time, depending on how much space you have. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel-lined plate.

Serve the falafels fresh and hot. They are best alongside hummus or creamy tahini or stuffed into a pita.

Source: Tori Avey

Red Curry Lentils

If you're looking to cut back on your meat consumption this year, lentils are a great place to start.  They are a legume, but they cook much faster than other legumes (such as dried beans) - usually in 10-40 minutes.  They also have the third highest protein of any legume or nut, along with a lot of iron, fiber, vitamins and minerals*.  Convinced? Good.

Now on to the recipe...These lentils are amazing!  They pack a lot of heat, which you can adjust if you like, but they also have a TON of flavor.  They are chock full of some of my favorite South Asian spices - garam masala, turmeric, garlic, ginger, and of course, curry.  You can serve them over rice, pile them on some warm naan, or eat them straight with a spoon - I've done all three.  You really can't go wrong.  And if you have leftovers - they are even better the next day as the flavors continue to develop.  The recipe is simple and the results are delicious!  Enjoy!

**These were quite spicy - too spicy for my kids, so you may want to start with 1 Tbsp. of curry paste and add from there.  My husband and I loved them, especially topped with gobs of cilantro, but they are spicy, so be warned...

Red Curry Lentils

1 1/2 c. lentils, rinsed and picked over
1/2 large onion, diced
2 T. butter
2 T. red curry paste**
1/2 T. garam masala
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. minced ginger
a few shakes cayenne pepper
1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
1/3 - 2/3 c. coconut milk
cilantro, for serving

Cook the lentils according to package directions (usually boil in water for about 20 minutes, until tender).  Set aside.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat.  Add the onions and saute for a few minutes until golden.  Add the spices - red curry paste, garam masala, curry powder, turmeric, sugar, garlic, ginger, and cayenne pepper - and saute for 1-2 minutes.  Add the crushed tomatoes.  Stir and simmer until smooth.

Add the lentils and the coconut milk.  Stir to combine and simmer for another 15-20 minutes.  You can add more coconut milk if the spice is too much.  Serve over rice and garnish with lots of fresh cilantro.

Source: Adapted from Pinch of Yum
*Info from Wikipedia

Southwest Stuffed Bell Peppers {and some Halloween fun!}

This was a great simple recipe with lots of flavor.  I think stuffed bell peppers are fun, and luckily my kids thought so too!  This recipe has a lot of great southwestern flavors - cilantro, jalapeno, tomatoes, chili powder, etc.  These are meatless, but you could easily add some cooked ground beef or turkey to the mix if you prefer.  I fancied these up a bit this week by carving little jack-o-lantern faces in a few.  They were a hit!  Happy Halloween!!

Black Beans {a la Cafe Rio}

These beans are delicious!  We love them in tacos, burritos, taco salad, or just on their own.  They are a total breeze to put together and turn plain old black beans into something totally amazing!

Summer One-Pot Pasta

I have a love-hate relationship with cooking in the summer.  I love the salads, fresh fruits and vegetables, and lightness of food in general in the summer.  But I never want to come in from the fresh air and spend a lot of time preparing meals!  Especially when it's hot out.  This one-pot pasta was a total hit because it was SO easy and SO fast AND it tasted fantastic!  I can't wait to make it with tomatoes fresh from our garden (fingers crossed my kids don't eat them all off the plant before I can use any!).  We did use our own basil and it was tasty!  You literally throw everything in the pot with the pasta and water to cook, and it makes it's own flavorful sauce and is ready in minutes.  If we had a gas stove it would be even faster, because the longest part was just waiting for the water to boil.  Next time you find yourself needing something for dinner quickly, try this out!

Lentil Soup

If you had told me 10 years ago that I would find a bowl of lentil soup to be one of the most appetizing things to me, I would have thought you were crazy!  But I guess I'm growing up, because I love lentil soup!  A friend of mine took me to a Lebanese restaurant last year and we had a lentil soup that was to die for.  I could not get it out of my head and have been on a search for a delicious lentil soup ever since.  This one is not exactly like that one, but it is fantastic.  We had this for dinner last night along with some nice crusty bread and it was heavenly!  I know most of you probably aren't making soups this time of year, but save it for when the weather cools down again and you won't be disappointed.  It's chock full of vegetables too, so you don't have to feel guilty about taking seconds!

Potato Leek Soup

We have really been enjoying soups this winter.  It seemed like my kids weren't quite at the age to enjoy soup or to be able to eat it very well last year, but this year, we've been eating soup probably once a week, if not more.  There are few things I love more on a cold day than a big pot of soup!

Quinoa "Cakes" (Patties)

 These are one of our new favorite things.  We call them "Quinoa Cakes" because they are a similar idea to crab or salmon cakes.  They are delicious!  They are easy to put together - especially if you have some leftover quinoa or cook the quinoa ahead of time (since it needs to be cooled).  We've enjoyed them topped with a little tartar sauce or lemony-creamy kind of sauce like the one on this recipe, but they're great on their own or however you like them.  I even made them twice as big one time and we used them as hamburger patties and they were delicious!  We topped them with our usual burger toppings and I thought they were outstanding.  I've tried this with red and white quinoa, and both work really well.  Red quinoa has a more mellow flavor, so if you find that you haven't taken to quinoa because of it's flavor, you might want to give the red quinoa a try.  Enjoy!

Bruschetta with Whipped Feta and Roasted Red Peppers

This is another recipe that blew me out of the water.  I was expecting it to be good, but I didn't expect it to be utterly AMAZING!  I'm a big feta-lover and whipping the feta and using it as a spread was the most genius thing ever.  It is so creamy and tangy and a perfect pair to the sweetness of the roasted red peppers.  This makes for an amazing appetizer, snack, or even dinner!  It comes together in a snap and is really worth trying.  Enjoy!

Mexican Quinoa

It's another quinoa post!  Since our family has been cutting back on meat lately, we've been looking for good plant-based sources of protein.  Quinoa is a great choice!  Mix it with beans and lots of Mexican flavors and you get a great healthy meal.  This dish is delicious served in bowls along with desired toppings (green onions, sour cream, cheese, avocado, etc.), and we also loved it as a taco filling.  Yum!  It comes together really easily too, which makes it even better!  I've made it twice in the last couple weeks and it has fast become a new regular.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Yum!  I wasn't sure if we would like this soup, but I decided it was worth a shot.  It was delicious!  We've been trying to incorporate more vegetarian recipes into our routine, so this one caught my eye.  It says it's creamy - and it is - but there isn't any cream in it.  It has some cheddar cheese, but other than that, it's loaded with veggies - vegetable broth, cauliflower, a potato, onions, garlic, etc.  My kids were a little afraid to try it, but they liked it once they did!  Especially with the crunchy croutons on top.  I'll definitely be making this again.  Enjoy!

Baked Ziti with Spinach

My little sister Heidi told me about this recipe and I was so glad I tried it!  It is super easy to throw together, makes a lot, and is delicious enough to serve to guests.  We enjoyed it ourselves one night, leftovers another, and lunch the last day.  You could cut the recipe in half or freeze half for another time if you prefer.  You can also make it up to a day in advance and keep it in the refrigerator until baking.  I love that it has spinach in it.  Spinach is so nutritious but sometimes hard to get kids to eat.  They won't complain when they're eating this!

Mango Quinoa Salad

I was blown away by this dish.  I thought I would like it, and I knew it would be healthy, but the brightness of the flavors really took me by surprise and made me love it!  If you haven't heard too much about quinoa, it is a seed that acts like a grain but is really more related to beets and spinach.  Confused?  Yeah, me too. :)  Here's what you need to know about it - it is easy to prepare (similar to rice); it is a source of complete protein; it is gluten free; it is high in fiber, phosphorus, magnesium, and iron; and it is a source of calcium.  Pretty good, eh?

Sesame Noodles

(forgot to add the cilantro for the picture - sorry!)

On Monday's note, here is another DELICIOUS meatless recipe.  I can't stress that enough.  This is my new favorite thing ever EVER!  And my family is so in love with it too.  My almost-3-yr-old devours this every time I make it and gets so excited when he hears it's for dinner.  In fact, I'll probably make this for his birthday because he loves it so much.

Spicy Bean Burritos

We've been trying to cut back on our meat consumption these days, and it's going pretty well.  I mean, we're no where near being vegetarian or anything, but we're trying to not eat meat every single day.  I wanted to find more recipes that I loved (like this tabbouleh) that were meatless.  So I went on a search and found these.  Now if you know my husband, you know that he used to detest beans.  Like if a bean happened upon his plate, he would not eat.  Okay okay, maybe not that bad, but he really didn't like them.

Pasta with Garlic and Oil

Simple ingredients - amazing taste. I was totally blown away by this dish. I was expecting it to be good, since it came from America's Test Kitchen, but I wasn't expecting it to be that good. But when you stick to the basics - garlic, olive oil, a little lemon juice and parsley, you can't go wrong. This was sooo tasty, especially with some good leftover Italian bread (doctored up with a little butter, Parm. cheese, and garlic) and a big salad; it made the perfect comfort food meal. Definitely put this one on your list of recipes to try! Just don't do it for a dinner party, because your breath with smell very strongly of garlic. :)

Pasta with Garlic and Oil (Pasta aglio e olio)

1 lb. spaghetti

salt (sea salt or table salt)

6 T. olive oil

20 garlic loves from 1-2 heads, minced (4 T. total)

3/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

3 T. chopped fresh parsley

2 tsp. juice from 1 lemon

1 oz. grated Parmesan cheese (1/2 cup) (optional - but very good)

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add pasta and 1 T. salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente (see package directions). Reserve 1/3 cup of the pasta cooking water; drain pasta and transfer it back to the pot.

Meanwhile, heat 3 T. oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until just shimmering. Add 3 T. garlic and 1/2 tsp. salt and reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic foams and becomes sticky and straw-colored, 10-12 minutes (you may need to turn your heat up a bit depending on your stove). Off the heat, add remaining T. garlic, pepper flakes, parsley, lemon juice, and 2 T. pasta cooking water to the skillet and stir well to keep the garlic from clumping.

Transfer the drained pasta to a large serving bowl (or throw back in your pot if you'd like). Add remaining 3 T. olive oil and remaining pasta cooking water and toss to coat. Add the garlic mixture and 3/4 tsp. table salt (or 1 tsp. sea salt flakes) to the pasta. Toss well to combine. Serve immediately with optional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Source: America's Test Kitchen

Tabbouleh

Yummy! My sister Wendy gave me this recipe and it is from one of the Barefoot Contessa cookbooks. It is a little different, but we absolutely loved it! It is so colorful, healthy and full of delicious fresh ingredients. I looked up Tabbouleh on Wikipedia and discovered that it is one of the most popular Middle Eastern salads. It is made with bulgur wheat, tons of parsley, mint, scallions, lemon juice, olive oil, etc. You can serve it as a salad, a side, or a main dish. We ate it as a main dish and served it in warm pitas and crumbled some feta cheese on top. So good! I highly recommend eating it that way. It was super filling too (because of the bulgur wheat, which I also read about here. It's more nutritious than white rice and couscous and is high in fiber, vitamins and minerals).

Stuffed Mushrooms

I love stuffed mushrooms. My in-laws got me hooked. They always do fun hor d'oevres around the holidays and this has been one of them. Usually they stuff them with cream cheese mixed with some herbs and green onions. I was planning doing just that until I was perusing through recipes online and came across several that used the stems in the stuffing. Hmmm. Sounded tasty and better than just throwing the stems away, so I decided to try it. I bought baby portabello mushrooms in a 24 oz. package at Costco, and there were 47 mushrooms in the package. I only used about 32 (that's all that would fit on my baking sheet), but I also have some leftover stuffing, which I plan on using today. I think you could use the same amount of stuffing for a smaller number of mushrooms, and just stuff them more.